IBAC logo
International Bible Advocacy Centre
English|Français|Español

Affirming the place of the Bible in today’s world

  • Home
  • What is the Bible?
  • Our Work
    • About us
    • Who we are
    • What we do
    • Politics
    • Arts
    • Education
    • Media
    • Global Advocacy Exchange
  • Research
  • News & Blog
    • Engaging digital natives with the Bible
    • Give Us Peace – But Not Yet
    • Faith in ‘the people’? How a biblical vision can renew democracy
    • Bible advocacy in the global context
    • The Glory of the Smile: A Biblical Perspective
    • Story-telling as a tool of advocacy
    • Icons, Identities, and Christian faith
    • No note, no comment? The genesis and future of Bible advocacy
    • The future of Bible advocacy in the UBS fellowship
    • ISIS criticised in Westminster debate
    • Boundless creativity for Bible advocacy
    • Is the Bible a bridge or a barrier to democracy?
    • Colours of the Bible
    • That Man: Bringing the story to life for new audiences in Costa Rica
    • Faith at work: equipping the next generation in Romania
    • Bible Exhibition in the European Parliament prompts Bible distribution
    • The role of the Bible in combating corruption: the case of Malawi
    • Does the Bible speak for itself?
    • Finding wholeness, restoring the soul: Bible advocacy through living arts
    • The Bible and culture: how should we read?
    • A look back at IBAC in 2015
    • Democracy, Conflict & the Bible - now on sale
    • The book of a minority or the book for society?
    • Bible museum as an advocacy tool: the experience of Pakistan
    • Planting hope in the wilderness: Reflections on Asian journeys’ Green Desert project
    • Leadership crisis - The bane of Africans' woes
    • Bible mission and Bible advocacy: a Balkan perspective
    • Reimagining Bible Advocacy in globalised youth cultures
    • Advocating for the Bible in sports
    • Four reasons why secularisation is good for international Bible advocacy
    • What does the Bible say about migration?
    • How to do effective Bible advocacy in academia
    • How to profile the Bible in inter-religious dialogue
    • On judging and the Bible
    • Has the Bible got the X Factor?
    • 5 things to help take Bible advocacy to the next level
    • Pitching the Bible in the world of young film-makers
    • Church and State: biblical view on their relationship
    • A Christian view of the Internet and new media
    • ‘Theistic Evolution’: is it biblical?
    • 6 ways the Bible is changing the conversation among Africa’s leaders
    • Leading civic engagement for biblical transformation
    • 5 biblical entrepreneurship principles to teach your kids
    • Imagining the Bible in Donald Trump's world
    • Speaking sculptures
    • Bible advocacy as a tool of reshaping young minds in Argentina
    • 7 reasons why the marketplace is a great place for Christians
    • Trauma, transformation and the Bible
    • Get ready for ABLI 2016
    • Conversation with Hon. Paul Yoane Bonju: Part One
    • Conversation with Hon. Paul Yoane Bonju: part two
    • Ending religion won’t end the conflict
    • Islam and the Western Christianity: facing conflict for mutual gain?
    • Jesus teaches us to love even Donald Trump
    • Interview with Honourable Anne Linno
    • Christianity ‘in line with the Chinese Dream’ conference told
    • Christian values at heart of Chinese academic seminar
    • Why work in the arts? Bible advocacy and the imagination
    • Faithful compromise: The lost art of brokered effectiveness in our public life
    • Eating as discipleship
    • How to survive the apocalypse: zombies, Cylons, faith and politics at the end of the world
    • Bible advocacy and secularism today: the role of IBAC
    • Event: Faith and Citizenship: A divided allegiance?
    • What Does it Mean to be Human? Blade Runner, Babylon, and the Bible
    • Church well-placed to help bring peace to Africa, says Lord Boateng
    • East - West Church Dialogue Resource Publication
    • “Open Sesame” – Integrity and Courage in Christian-Muslim Encounter
    • Conference aims to support Christian communities under pressure in the Middle East
    • Bible Society conference feels the pain of Middle East church
  • Contact us
Our website uses cookies to improve your online experience. Accept | Find out more
Boundless creativity for Bible advocacy
< Back

Naomi Dunn is International Advocacy Support Officer at the British and Foreign Bible Society.

There is boundless creativity within the UBS fellowship for Bible advocacy

This was the response of one of the participants at the Global Advocacy Exchange at the end of our week together in Siem Reap, Cambodia, when asked about the most valuable thing they had learnt. The event brought together representatives from over 19 Bible Societies and partner organisations for a week of learning and sharing on the theory and practice of Bible advocacy. It was a fantastic, vibrant week full of inspiration and conversation.

The Global Advocacy Exchange is just one of the ways in which IBAC aims to support and resource those working to develop Bible advocacy projects. Through teaching, discussion and the sharing of experiences, participants can grow in confidence about the place of advocacy within our mission as Bible Societies, and the opportunities they can take hold of for advocacy within their own contexts.

Global Advocacy Exchange participants at Angkor Wat

Developing projects in the arts

This year’s event focused on how Bible advocacy can address socio-political issues, and particularly on developing projects in the arts. Participants drew inspiration from Bible Society in Cambodia’s advocacy performance, Spean Metrey, which uses theatre to explore the biblical message of forgiveness and reconciliation 40 years after the genocide. Taking this as our starting point, we spent the week discussing how to develop projects that are deeply rooted within culture, advocating for the Bible in an engaging and relevant way.

Andy Frost, Director of Share Jesus International, brought some great insight on why we should advocate for the Bible, and how we can start to set up projects that gather people with a common vision together. We then reflected on and shared our own approaches to Bible advocacy – both successes and challenges. It was really encouraging to hear about the breadth of advocacy work being done around the Fellowship, from the Bible Society of Costa Rica’s work with artists and journalists to the Palestinian Bible Society’s work with the Muslim community there.

There is so much existing work to be proud of, as well as opportunity for the future.

Quality and creativity

One of the highlights of the week was an ongoing small group task to create a new Bible advocacy project. Bible Societies from similar contexts worked together to create an innovative project idea in response to a given context. We were blown away by the quality and creativity of the ideas that emerged, ranging from a dressmaking advocacy and income generation project with vulnerable women in Asia, to a viral social media campaign around football violence in South America. The diversity was incredible and a perfect embodiment of the ‘boundless creativity’ in the fellowship.

Bible advocacy is a rapidly growing area of ministry within the UBS fellowship, and there is so much to be encouraged about. At IBAC, we’re excited to play our part in this; helping those Bible Societies who are looking for support and guidance as they develop projects of this kind. We welcome any and all Bible Societies to get in touch with us, and we look forward to having some of you with us for next year’s Global Advocacy Exchange in South Africa.

 

Published: 05/01/2016

Although IBAC exists to foster conversations on Bible advocacy-related issues, the views or opinions represented in this blog are solely those of the author

Bible Society
Copyright
Privacy policy
Cookie Policy
Bible Society, Stonehill Green, Westlea, Swindon, SN5 7DG.
Charity reg number: 232759